Chapter 18 — A Retreat Called Love

Leave me the last protection. I wiped my tears. Follow what he wrote in the diary. Go back to the old room you lived in. Behind the drawer. There was indeed an envelope sealed tightly with tape. I opened it with shaking hands. Inside is the trust fund contract. Same bank card. I immediately called the fund management company. After reading my date of birth. The customer service staff on the other end of the line immediately responded in a professional and gentle voice:

“Hello, Miss To Tinh.”

“The current value of this trust fund is two million three hundred and seventy thousand yuan.”

I was dumbfounded. Two million three hundred and seventy thousand. That number was like a thunderclap. Booming right in my ears. I hold the phone. But couldn't utter a word. I never thought that that quiet man... Who always sat quietly in the corner of the house, sometimes even seemed clumsy and stiff... Would silently prepare a way out for me like that. He was not without resistance. Nor is it resignation. He just chose his own way. Using death to close a crime. At the same time leave me the last protection. After hanging up. I held the diary in my arms. Sit down on the floor. Crying to the point of not being able to make a sound. That amount of money is too heavy. So heavy it made me suffocate. Because it's not just money. That is the message of an honest person. It is the last love of a father. Also the weight of an innocent life. I cannot accept it calmly. All that night. I don't sleep. Sit by the window. Think for a long time. Until morning. I called lawyer Truong. And make a decision. I want to establish a legal aid fund. All of that money will be used to operate the fund. Specializing in free help for women experiencing domestic violence. Betrayed people. People who are oppressed, deceived or treated unfairly in marriage but cannot afford to pay legal fees. I hope. The kindness of a father-in-law can be continued in another way. I hope. In this world, there will never be another "To Tinh" who will be alone like I was that year. After hearing that decision. Lawyer Truong was silent for a long time. Then say:

“I really admire you.”

She was completely supportive. Even proactively helped me handle the procedures. Establishing a fund is not simple. There's a lot of paperwork. Lots of processes. But we still push forward step by step. I named it:

“Clear Skies Foundation.”

I hope it will be like the sky after the rain. Bringing a ray of light to women trapped in darkness. Right at the time I was busy with the fund's work. Cao Chi Vien called.

“It's been investigated.”

His voice is quite deep. Sounds a bit heavy.

“What?”

“That parcel.”

“We have found the source.”

“I checked the surveillance camera of the post office south of the city.”

“And see the sender.”

I gently squeezed the phone.

“Someone you absolutely did not expect.”

Cao Chi Vien replied slowly.

“It's the old man who picks up bottles and scraps.”

“Was a witness to the accident that year.”

I was stunned.

“Why him?”

“I was also very surprised.”

Cao Chi Vien continued.

“After many days of searching, I finally met him.”

“Him said that that year I actually saw the face of the driver who caused the accident."

“I even remember part of the license plate number.”

My heart suddenly tightened.

“So why didn't he say?”

“Because then Zhou Kai found him.”

Cao Chi Vien sighed softly.

“Zhu Kai gave him ten thousand yuan.”

“In exchange for silence.”

“Ten thousand yuan…”

“For a homeless person, without relatives, without support like him.”

“It's a huge amount of money.”

“He was afraid.”

“Finally received the money.”

“And choose silence.”

I closed my eyes. My heart is full of emotions.

“What about the diary?”

“The diary was picked up by him.”

Gao Zhiyuan replied.

“After the accident.”

“The scene is cordoned off.”

“But at night there are still loopholes.”

“He sneaked back.”

“At first I just wanted to see if there was anything I could pick up.”

“Then I discovered the diary lying in the grass along the roadside.”

“Maybe when your father-in-law was thrown out.”

“The notebook fell out of my pocket.”

I bowed my head and looked at the diary placed on the table. Fingers gently stroked through the old cover.

“He is not very literate.”

“But I can read a little.”

“Plus predict and predict later.”

“I also understand roughly what is written in it.”

“He knew this family had problems.”

“But I'm even more afraid of bringing disaster upon myself.”

“So he hid the diary.”

“Hidden for two years.”